Ford Falcon ute gets five-star rating

Ford's FG Falcon Utility has been awarded the maximum five-star safety rating by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) in the latest round of testing

The five-star ANCAP safety rating applies to all FG Falcon Ute models fitted with head and chest-protecting side airbags, Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) and a floor-mounted transmission lever. Side airbags and DSC are both standard equipment on XR6 and XR6 Turbo models, and available as options on XL and R6 models.

The FG Falcon Ute received a total score of 33.58 points (out of a possible 37 points), giving it the highest score ever recorded by a utility in Australia, as well as the second highest score ever achieved by a locally-produced vehicle, behind the FG Falcon sedan.

"The FG Falcon has been judged by ANCAP to be the safety leader amongst locally manufactured vehicles, which further reinforces Ford's long standing reputation for safety leadership in Australia," said Ford Australia President & CEO Marin Burela.

"We design our cars to deliver real-world safety benefits for our customers, but this result serves as a resounding third party endorsement of the world-class body structure and comprehensive suite of active and passive safety features we have developed for Falcon.

"The FG Falcon is the safest vehicle ever developed by Ford in Australia and this safety leadership has been recognised by ANCAP."

The Falcon Ute scored 14.62 out of 16 in the frontal offset crash test, with ANCAP reporting that the passenger compartment "was in excellent shape after the test", while a score of 15.96 out of 16 was recorded for the side impact crash test.

Ford's entire locally manufactured vehicle range is now either five-star rated by ANCAP or five-star capable.

The addition of a side head/thorax airbags as standard on the latest Falcon XR6 and XR6 Turbo Ute models bolsters the list of safety equipment on these vehicles, which includes:

Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) with Traction Control and Emergency Brake Assist (EBA)

Pyrotechnic seatbelt pretensioners

Crash severity and seat position sensors

Beltminder system

Driver fatigue warning

The FG Falcon Ute is also fitted with Ford's Intelligent Safety System, which monitors of crash severity and occupant positioning. Door pressure sensors and dual upfront sensors provide early detection of potential crash incidents. The sensors literally hear the event occurring through pressure waves, before the panels even start to deform, making detection of crash situations instantaneous. They also provide discrimination between different types of events to determine the level of response required.